The Orange County Museum of Art has appointed Todd DeShields Smith as its new chief executive officer and director, the museum announced Wednesday.

Smith is the director of the Tampa Museum of Art in Florida. During his six years there, he oversaw the building of a new, 66,000-square-foot facility that opened in downtown Tampa in 2010. The $32 million project came in on time and under budget.

As the new director of OCMA, Smith will guide the museum’s planned move from Newport Center to the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa – a big, multimillion-dollar project that is expected to raise the visibility and profile of the 52-year-old nonprofit art institution.

“I completed a project a few years ago, from the breaking of ground to several years afterward,” Smith, 48, said in a telephone interview. “I’m very confident in my abilities to hopefully do the same thing with the Orange County Museum of Art.”

OCMA was originally supposed to break ground on the new museum last year, but the project has been reconsidered and the start of construction has been pushed back. According to a land transfer agreement with the Segerstrom Center, the museum must break ground by July 2017.

Previous estimates placed the cost at $60 million, but that, too, has been reconsidered. Officials now estimate the total cost to be more than $50 million, including construction, an endowment and operating expenses.

A museum veteran, Smith has served as an executive director or president of several art institutions, including the Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston, S.C.; the Knoxville Museum of Art in Knoxville, Tenn.; and the Plains Art Museum in Fargo, N.D.

He also served as curator of American and contemporary art at the Mint Museum of Art in Charlotte, N.C., and curator of American and decorative art at the Dayton Art Institute in Dayton, Ohio.

Smith has considerable experience in fundraising, which is considered a key skill for any museum director these days.

He received his bachelor’s degree in art history and political science from Duke University, and a master’s degree in the history of art from Indiana University. He was born and raised in Richmond, Va.

Smith is expected to start his new job Aug. 4. He is announcing his resignation in Tampa Wednesday, and his last day will be July 3, he said.

“I’m very impressed with what the Orange County Museum has done,” he said. “It’s an institution that has carved out a niche for itself, and continues to set a very high standard, both within the region, but also nationally and internationally.”

OCMA specializes in modern and contemporary art and has presented a California biennial since 1984. Last year, the exhibition evolved into a California-Pacific Triennial, focusing on art made in the Pacific Rim.

The Newport Beach museum hired the Chicago-based search firm Heidrick & Struggles to find Smith. He replaces Dennis Szakacs, who resigned Dec. 31 after 10 years as director. Chief Curator Dan Cameron has served as interim director and CEO since January. Cameron was a candidate for the director post, but removed himself from the running in March.

The search took eight months until Wednesday’s announcement, the museum said.

“We gave Heinrich & Struggles a fairly detailed position description,” said Craig Wells, president of the OCMA board. “While nobody is perfect, Todd certainly met those requirements to the ‘T.’ His experience, demeanor and background met those requirements.”

Wells continued, “We are extremely pleased. He was our No. 1 choice among the search committee, and among the staff who interviewed him.”

Smith will oversee a staff of 15-20 full-time and part-time employees, Wells said. Last year’s budget was $3.5 million, and the museum is looking at a comparable budget this fiscal year, which began April 1, Wells said.

Neither Smith nor Wells would comment on the new director’s salary. The museum’s 2012 tax returns reveal that Szakacs earned $300,771 in 2012, plus an additional $10,582 in compensation “from the organization and related organizations.”

Wells said the museum is offering a competitive salary, using a compensation survey by the American Association of Museum Directors as a guideline.

Todd DeShields Smith has been appointed the new director and CEO of the Orange County Museum of Art. Courtesy photo
Officials at the Orange County Museum of Art, shown during the 2004 California Biennial, are announcing Wednesday that Todd DeShields Smith, director of the Tampa Museum of Art, has been chosen to be its new director and CEO. CINDY YAMANAKA, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Todd DeShields Smith has been appointed the new director and CEO of the Orange County Museum of Art. He's currently director of the Tampa Museum of Art in Florida. Courtesy photo

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